Strengthen intra-continental trade, democratic resilience, stakeholders urge African countries

Some stakeholders have urged African countries to strengthen intra-continental trade and democratic resilience as the era of traditional development assistance gradually declines.

They gave the advice on Monday in Abuja at the public presentation of a policy publication titled Beyond Aid and Fear, organised by Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) Nigeria.

The Resident Representative of FES Nigeria, Mr Lennart Oestergaard, said that the publication marked the organisation’s first activity for the year and underscored the urgency of rethinking Africa’s development trajectory amid shifting global dynamics.

Oestergaard said that FES, founded in 1925 in Germany and operating in Nigeria for 50 years, was celebrating its 100th anniversary.

According to him, global consensus around development cooperation is weakening, especially in Europe and the United States, where domestic political pressures and right-wing populism are reshaping foreign aid policies.
He said that debates in Germany, including positions canvassed by the Alternative for Germany (AfD), mirror trends in other Western countries where development budgets are being reduced or restructured to align with domestic priorities.

Oestergaard expressed hope that future cooperation would be anchored on mutual benefit and equitable partnerships rather than unilateral aid flows.

He also emphasised the importance of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), describing intra-African trade as critical to the continent’s long-term development. Representing the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Dunoma Ahmed, the Director of Research and Statistics, Mr Oluremi Oniyide, described the publication as timely.

Ahmed said that Africa was already operating in a “post-Official Development Assistance (ODA) epoch.
He said that aid flow to developing countries had continued to decline below the UN’s 0.7 per cent benchmark of donor countries’ Gross National Income.

According to him, development assistance has increasingly become transactional and tied to conditions that may undermine Africa’s aspirations and competitiveness. “In this epoch of post-ODA, Africa must recalibrate its approach to funding the aspirations and flagship programmes of the African Union Agenda 2063.

“We must review and reconsider approaches to safely navigate this period and turn this challenge into opportunity,” he said. He emphasised the need for homegrown solutions, domestic resource mobilisation and stronger continental coordination to actualise Agenda 2063.

The Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, said that Africa’s share of global exports stood at about 2.2 per cent in 2023, while intra-African trade remained approximately 14.8 per cent.

Kalu, represented by his Special Adviser on International Relations, Dr Mabel Aderonke, described the figures as indicators of structural vulnerabilities requiring deliberate fiscal and legislative reforms.

“The first response must be fiscal sovereignty. No nation can sustainably build its future on external financing subject to shifting political currents.

“Aid can complement development; it can not anchor it,” he said. Kalu said that the 10th House of Representatives was advancing fiscal reforms, public finance accountability measures and business environment legislation to strengthen Nigeria’s competitiveness.

He said that trade integration under the AfCFTA must be equitable and supported by infrastructure, removal of non-tariff barriers and protection for smaller economies. She also stressed the importance of governance reforms, institutional accountability and youth-focused initiatives such as apprenticeship schemes to enhance productivity.

Presenting the publication, its co-authore, Mrs Aderonke Ige, said that the book examined how rising right-wing populism in the Global North had reconfigured the political economy of development.

Ige, who co-authored the work with a Kenyan scholar, Churchill Othieno, said that the publication was not an anti-Western critique but a structural analysis of shifting global power dynamics.

“At the centre of this conversation is “power and agency”. Africa must transition from external dependency to fiscal sovereignty and regional resilience. We are not positioning Africa as a victim. Africa has agency and must strategically reposition itself,” she said.

According to her, development cooperation and trade have increasingly become instruments of domestic political agenda in donor countries, often linked to migration control and electoral cycles.

She cautioned against authoritarian emulation on the continent, noting that democratic resilience was a strategic asset rather than a Western export.

Ige outlined key recommendations in the publication, including strengthening peer review mechanisms under the African Union, expanding domestic resource mobilisation, deepening regional integration and promoting innovation-led growth.

She said that the work also proposed a “progressive playbook” for African governments, non-state actors and external partners to foster equitable and sustainable cooperation.

The event featured robust discussions among policymakers, diplomats and development experts on Africa’s preparedness to navigate the evolving global order.

Stakeholders agreed that while the decline in traditional aid posed challenges, it also presented an opportunity for Africa to pursue fiscal independence, strengthen intra-African trade and reinforce democratic governance as foundations for sustainable development. (NAN)